Voice of Experience: Doreen Lilienfeld, Partner, Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Group, Shearman & Sterling

doreenlilienfeldBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Doreen Lilienfeld, a partner in the Executive Compensation & Employee Benefits Group at global law firm Shearman & Sterling, has established her reputation as a leading executive compensation lawyer through exceptional client work and thought leadership initiatives like article writing and speaking opportunities.

But when it comes to career advancement in the legal profession, Lilienfeld believes that establishing and maintaining relationships is key. In her experience, networking matters.

“Everyone is a potential contact,” she says. “You never know where the people you meet along the way are going to wind up. You see people move from one path of life to another. To the extent that you can network earlier in your career rather than later, and keep those contacts, it is incredibly useful later in life.”

Part of that networking should be internal, she suggests. Having climbed the ranks at Shearman & Sterling’s Frankfurt, London, Bay Area, and New York offices, Lilienfeld emphasizes that the benefits of finding a role model can be considerable. “Get a mentor,” she says. “It’s the most critical piece of advice I can give anyone for career success.”

But earning the support of colleagues is not automatic. It requires delivering on commitments and nurturing key relationships all along the way. “You need to stay connected and have a team dedicated to your success throughout your career,” she explains.

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Voice of Experience: Claire Warnes, Partner, KPMG

ClaireWarnesBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

According to Claire Warnes, Partner in KPMG’s Risk Consulting practice, one of the best parts of working in consultancy is that there are lots of moments which make you feel proud. “There’s not one occasion, but many. That’s why I like working for a consultancy with so many clients. My proudest moments are when we work as a team with a client, bringing diversity of thought to bear and really making a difference in how our clients implement change,” she explained.

Warnes spent nine years in three roles in the UK public sector before being headhunted into KPMG’s Public Sector practice. “At KPMG, I’ve done eight years work as a management consultant, implementing and designing change in the public sector, for universities, defense, and increasingly in healthcare,” she said.

In addition to those eight years, Warnes cited a valuable assignment in Frankfurt that propelled her career forward. “In 2009, I was asked to take on a strategic secondment to be the Executive Assistant to the Joint Chairman of KPMG Europe. It was a fantastic experience and one of the highlights of my career.”

Then, last year, after ten years with the firm, she was promoted to partner. “Now I’m back to consulting, working with lots of clients and helping them think about the future and plan for the significant changes they are facing, and what that could mean for their business.”

Currently Warnes’ work is mainly around the regulation of healthcare. “I’m passionate about that, and the role of regulation in enhancing the quality, efficiency, and patient safety of healthcare. I think it makes a difference.”

She added that she is also interested in how the economy will impact consultancies moving forward. “In austere times which many mature economies are facing now, the role of consultancy is extremely important. Even when money is tight there is an important role for consultants to play and add value to organizations.”

Finally, Warnes added, she is involved in a number of projects at the firm, including serving as a sponsor for its women’s development program and participating in a forward-thinking project involving a group of young partners. “It’s thinking about the future and it’s very exciting,” she said.

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Voice of Experience: PJ Johnson, Managing Director and Global Head for Anti-Money Laundering and Sanctions Compliance, Citi

pjjohnsonBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

To Pamela (PJ) Johnson, Managing Director and Global Head for Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Sanctions Compliance at Citi, mentoring and developing individuals is a chief source of satisfaction.

“I’ve worked on pieces of important legislation, including the USA PATRIOT Act, and a number of significant money laundering cases. But, as I turn 50, what I’m most proud of is my role in creating a community of AML professionals.”

“Whether it is people with whom I have worked or others who have worked for me, it is satisfying to see people develop and move up the ranks to larger and more challenging positions.”

She continued, “As I look at my team in particular, I’m very humbled to be surrounded by such experienced and dedicated professionals. I’d be delighted to think that I may have contributed in some positive way either through mentoring or educating people about AML.”

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Voice of Experience: Lois Herzeca, Partner, Gibson Dunn

LoisHerzecaBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“When I was in law school I fully intended to become a litigator,” began Lois Herzeca, Partner at Gibson Dunn.

After graduating cum laude from Boston University School of Law, Herzeca joined the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department in Washington, D.C. through its Honors Program. Based on her experience working in the Antitrust Division, she decided to move into the private sector as a litigator, and took a position at Fried Frank in New York in antitrust litigation.

“Then I realized I was much more interested in corporate practice,” she explained. “I enjoyed the creativity in structuring deals and the strategic thinking involved in executing deals. I felt I could become a real advisor to clients.”

Eventually, Herzeca became a partner at Fried Frank, spending over twenty years with the firm. Then, three years ago, she moved to Gibson Dunn. “I felt a larger global practice created a better platform for my client base,” she explained. She is now a member of the firm’s Mergers and Acquisitions and Capital Markets Practice Groups, and she is co-chair of its Fashion, Retail, and Consumer Products Practice Group.

She says one of her proudest recent achievements was being named a Dealmaker of the Year for 2012 by The American Lawyer. “I’m honored to be among that group. There are relatively few women partners in law firms who work on contested M&A transactions,” she explained. Additionally, she continued, she is extremely proud to have been honored with her alma mater’s Alumni Pro Bono award in 2009 for her many pro bono activities.

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Voice of Experience: Julia Hoggett, Head of Covered Bonds and FIG Flow Financing EMEA and Head of Short Term Fixed Income Origination EMEA, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

juliahoggettBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

One of the most important lessons Julia Hoggett learned early in her career was the importance of being herself. Now Head of Covered Bonds and FIG (Financial Institutions) Flow Financing EMEA and Head of Short Term Fixed Income Origination EMEA at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Hoggett explained, “Bringing your whole self to work can only help you advance.”

Early in her career, she hadn’t quite learned this lesson. “There was a sense that I needed to assume a professional face, both as a woman and as an investment banker. Luckily I learned that bringing the real me to the office made me better at my job.”

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Lale Topcuoglu, Portfolio Manager, Managing Director, Co-head of Global Investment Grade Portfolio Management, Goldman Sachs Asset Management

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Lale TopcuogluOriginally from Turkey, Lale Topcuoglu studied economics and politics at Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts and then took a job as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in 1999, where she quickly ascended the ranks, being named a managing director just ten years later. “That’s probably my proudest achievement,” she said, “getting promoted to Managing Director and co-head of the Investment Grade business. We manage $70 billion in assets and I co-lead a team of 22 people in the US, Europe, and Asia.”

“When I look back at my career, Goldman Sachs has been a land of opportunity for me,” she added.

How did she rise so quickly? Topcuoglu said one of the skills she’s glad to have learned in her career is the ability to negotiate. “Nobody really teaches you this,” she explained. Getting a sense of how your company really works is also important for career growth, she continued. “I learned pretty quick on the job, if you can understand how organizations work, the administration, it will help you.”

Finally, she said, learning self awareness was important for her advancement. “Be aware of your little professional quirks,” she said. “Sometimes I make knee jerk responses, and I’m learning to start with a yes, instead of a no.”

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Voice of Experience: Sarah Walker, Executive Director, Enterprise Data & Services, Global Head IT & Data Operations; Securities Reference Data, Morgan Stanley

SarahWalkerBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Throughout her life, Australia-born Sarah Walker, Executive Director of the Enterprise Data & Services Group at Morgan Stanley, has demonstrated a devotion to solving problems and efficiency. Energetic and direct, she described how she entered the world of IT after becoming frustrated with the indirect pace of her university education.

She entered university intending to study journalism. “I wanted to be a writer,” she explained. “But I quickly decided I hated university! I thought I could pick up a book and learn anything they were going to teach me on my own. So I convinced my parents to say yes to me dropping out if I could find a job.”

“I think they only said yes because they thought I would never find one!” she said with a laugh. But, she continued, she did find work. “It was the early ‘90s and I got a job doing operations reconciliation work at Citigroup in Sydney. I had a big computer sitting on my desk, yet everything was still being done manually. I thought, ‘why are we doing this with a calculator and pencil and paper?’”

Walker turned her computer on, and worked out a way to turn the 8-hour ordeal into a 1-hour process. “From then on, I’ve been hooked. My career has been about making processes more efficient and solving problems.”

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Voice of Experience: Dana Kromm, Partner, Mergers & Acquisitions Group, Shearman & Sterling

danakrommBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Graduating from law school at the University of California, Davis in 2001, Dana Kromm found herself at the “tail end of the tech boom.” But the rising M&A star at global law firm Shearman & Sterling LLP in San Francisco has more than made up for her late arrival.

Recently named one of California’s Top Women Lawyers by the legal publication The Daily Journal, Kromm, a partner in the firm’s M&A group, has established a solid reputation in Bay Area transactions and within the private equity community, advising the likes of Twitter, Visa and Sybase, as well as Francisco Partners and a number of other major technology-focused private equity firms.

“The great part about M&A is that it’s a field where you’re constantly learning new things – there’s always something in a deal that’s new, a new problem or a new issue,” she explained. “Your job as an M&A lawyer is to be a master of all the issues – which means you have the opportunity to be constantly learning.”

The same goes for working in the technology space, she continued. “Technology issues keep you on your toes in the same way, whether you’re working with IP issues, regulatory issues, or something else. It makes for a vibrant and ever-changing practice.”

Kromm says she established her reputation in the technology M&A field by getting a keen understanding of the business objectives of her clients. “Particularly on the private equity side, it’s understanding the investment motives, why they’re interested in the particular business, where they see the growth coming from. And second to that, particularly with the technology companies themselves, it’s making an effort to understand their business as well and why they’re doing the transaction.”

She added, “Technology has its own set of individual issues and I make it a priority to understand what those are.”

Recently Kromm has worked on several deals in the healthcare information technology field, and she said she is interested in how pending changes to healthcare law, including the US Supreme Court’s expected decision this summer on The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, will impact her clients.

“I’m interested in seeing how those changes impact the business model of the healthcare IT companies I’m working with,” she says.

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Voice of Experience: Minerva Tantoco, Executive Director, Client Facing Technology, UBS

MinervaTantocoBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

“My path could not have been predicted early in my career,” said Minerva Tantoco, Executive Director of Client Facing Technology at UBS. “If I’d known it was just following your interests and passions and just doing them well, I think I’d have had a lot less stress.”

“Just be yourself, and have a sense of humor. Your path is you and what you find interesting.”

Through a career spanning three decades and covering multiple industries, Tantoco has worked on the cutting edge of online advertising, e-commerce, mobile technology, and shifting workflows.

“To be part of generating change and really revolutionizing how we do business every two years, and to be part of the changes that have occurred over the past 30 years – I feel like I’m a part of the history of computing,” she said.

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Movers and Shakers: Beth Devin, Chief Technology Officer, Manilla

BethDevinBy Melissa J. Anderson (New York City)

Beth Devin is conscious of the challenges that women face in Silicon Valley. As Chief Technology Officer of Manilla, she works for men and with a majority of men, and said that there are times when she has wished for more gender diversity. But she also believes that technology is a terrific field to work in – and by discussing the industry’s challenges and benefits, the good and the bad, senior women can provide encouragement for younger women coming up the ranks.

“Successful women in technology leadership roles are few and far between – we should not underestimate the positive impact we can have on women considering a technology career or just starting out,” she said.

“Speak up as women in technology, talk about the amazing opportunities and what the challenges are. Your wisdom and experience are valuable. The more information that’s out there, the more storytelling you can do, the more it will benefit others.”

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